Association between trace metals exposure and hearing loss

Abstract

BackgroundTrace metals have side-effect on human health. The association between trace metals exposure and hearing loss remains unclear.MethodsA total of 8,128 participants were exacted for analysis of association between trace metals and hearing loss from the database of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (2013–2018). Multivariable logistic regression and restricted cubic spline models were used to examine the association between trace metals and hearing loss.ResultsParticipants with hearing loss had a higher level of lead, cadmium, molybdenum, tin, thallium, and tungsten (all p < 0.05). After adjusting for confounders, compared with the reference of the lowest quartile, the ORs with 95%CIs for hearing loss across quartiles were 1.14 (0.86, 1.51), 1.49 (1.12, 1.98), 1.32 (0.97, 1.80) for cobalt, and 1.35 (0.98, 1.87), 1.58 (1.15, 2.16), 1.75 (1.28, 2.40) for tin. Individuals with the level of cobalt at third quartile had 49% higher risks of hearing loss than those at lowest quartile. And participants with highest quartile of tin had 1.75-folds risks of hearing loss than those with lowest quartile of tin. There were increasing trends in risks of hearing loss with a raised level of thallium (p for trend <0.05). Restricted cubic spline regression analysis indicated that there was a nonlinear association between hearing loss and the levels of tin (p for nonlinearity = 0.021). Subgroup analysis showed that individuals of female, without hypertension and diabetes, and with a higher level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol had modified effects on the associations between hearing loss and exposure to tin.ConclusionsOur study indicated that exposure to cobalt and tin were significantly associated with hearing loss.

Population‐based study of environmental heavy metal exposure and hearing loss: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…It enhanced our understanding of the data and provided a more precise basis for scientific insight. This study covered 15 studies published between 2009 and 2022, 11 of which were conducted in Asia (Japan, 6,11,12 Korea, 3,9,13,14 and China 5,7,15,16 ) and 4 in the United States. 4,[17][18][19] Of these studies, 10 articles identified lead and cadmium as the main or one of the risk factors for HL.…”

“…20 Clinically, HL is typically defined as an average pure-tone threshold exceeding 25 decibels. 5 Given the widespread ubiquity of heavy metal exposure, it is critical to investigate and recognize the relationship between environmental heavy metal exposure and the risk of HL. This meta-analysis and review aim to comprehensively examine the association between heavy metals, including lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic, barium, and manganese, and the incidence of HL.…”

“…HL is a significant and prevalent global health issue affecting approximately 360 million individuals worldwide, according to the World Health Organization 20 . Clinically, HL is typically defined as an average pure‐tone threshold exceeding 25 decibels 5 . This condition can be attributed to various factors, including congenital factors, infections, noise exposure, heavy metal exposure, and aging.…”

“…2 Previous research has reported a plausible link between environmental exposure to heavy metals and the risk of HL, with a particular emphasis on the ototoxic effects of lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury. [3][4][5][6] Studies have indicated a potential association between lead exposure and an increased risk of HL, particularly among children. 7 Animal models have demonstrated that lead exposure can impair axonal transport and suppress auditory processing near the cochlea.…”

Association of Thallium with Diabetes Risk among Patients with Hearing Loss: Result from NHANES 2013 to 2018

“…Hearing loss is determined by affirmative responses to the question: Are you deaf or do you have serious difficulty hearing? [25] Diabetes is determined according to the answer to the following question: Other than during pregnancy, have you/has SP ever been told by a doctor or health professional that you have/he/she/SP has diabetes or sugar diabetes?…”